On 1 August, OSCE participating States mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, a seminal document that laid the foundation for the largest regional security organisation. This was reported in an article for the newspaper ‘Neutral Turkmenistan’ by the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, Ambassador John MacGregor, according to Turkmenportal.

The Head of the centre emphasised that the signing of the act was a turning point in relations between East and West, allowing the parties to agree on key security issues. The document includes 10 key principles, ranging from sovereignty and the inviolability of borders to the peaceful settlement of conflicts.

According to J. MacGregor, the Helsinki Act has become a unique instrument of trust between countries with different political systems, strengthening dialogue and contributing to conflict reduction.

The Ambassador also noted that the anniversary coincides with the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's neutrality and the International Year of Peace and Trust. Summing up his work in Ashgabat, he thanked President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan and all partners for their contribution to strengthening security.

Today, the OSCE brings together 57 countries and more than a billion people, covering the military-political, economic-environmental and humanitarian spheres of security.